


I hope I'm not stuck with this one

by trinipedia



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Challenge Response, Fanfiction, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-05
Updated: 2009-10-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 19:51:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9199952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinipedia/pseuds/trinipedia
Summary: A rebellious Malibu prince is shipped off to a strict English boarding school by his mother after one too many pranks. He will find more than he expected, and he'll come to realize that leaving might not be as easy as he thought.





	1. First

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to thank all of my proofreaders, without them there won't be any fic at all. I also wanna thank profusely [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[lightthesparks](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/), who proved to be not only an even more amazing artist than I thought, but also a funny, entertaining, adorable person. *clings*
> 
>  **Artist Name:** [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[lightthesparks](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/) [ART MASTERPOST ](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/15496.html)
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Not mine in any way, shape or form. Based on the movie "Wild Child", so if there's anything you think you recognize, I probably didn't write it.  
>   
> 

 

  


  
The sun rises on a clear Malibu morning; the birds are chirping, the sea is calm and the air smells like flowers and eternal summer.  
All in all, the perfect day.  
It's 9.45, and Jensen Ackles is still asleep in his bed; the only thing visible from the top of the sheets is his blue hair, scattered on the pillow.  
His long eyelashes flutter, and he starts stretching, with a content smile.  
Every thing's exactly as it's supposed to be, in his life, and he-  
Suddenly his green eyes snap open, and he slaps his forehead.  
"Shit!" he exclaims, jumping off the bed and running to his calendar: in between a lot of colorful flags, there's the self explanatory drawing of an atomic cloud.  
In today's square.  
"Shit!" he repeats, a little louder, stomping down the stairs.  


 

  
Downstairs in the kitchen MacKenzie, Jensen's little sister, is making a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, moving her head on time with the song playing on her iPod.  
"Mac! Mac!"  
Jensen huffs, when he sees the earphones, and takes them off his sister's ears.  
"I was listening to that!" MacKenzie whines, but Jensen grabs her shoulders and turns her away from the table and towards him.  
"This is important, Mac. Have you forgotten today's the day Josh moves in?" he asks in a serious tone.  
"Like you'd let me forget" Mac answers, rolling her eyes, then her expression turns pleading.  
"Please, tell me you're not going to do anything crazy..."  
Jensen's eyes shift.  
"Look, you know I love you, Macky, but there are some things you're just way too young to understand."  
As he talks, he cuts away the crust from his sister's sandwich, just the way he has always done since when she was a toddler and almost suffocated as a piece of crust too hard got stuck into her throat.  
He grins at her, and offers her the sandwich.  
"I know what I'm doing. Okay? Trust me" he adds, as he hops away.  
MacKenzie arches an eyebrow.  
"Jensen!" she tries to call him back, but his mind is probably already dead set on his plans on how to get rid of Josh 'hotshot' Duhamel.  
It's not that MacKenzie likes the guy, but he's the one her mum has chosen, and for once, just for once, she wishes Jensen would let it be.  
She sighs and munches on her sandwich.  
There's trouble ahead, and she'll need all the strength she can get.  


 

  
The moving van gets to the house just as Jensen's friends arrive from the other side of the street.  
_That's what I like to call **perfect timing**_ he thinks, utterly pleased with himself.  
The movers open the blinds and all of Josh's boxes and possessions are ready to be unloaded.  
Jensen walks up to them, sugary smile firmly in place.  
"Thanks, we'll take it from here" he says.  
The movers look unsure, probably a little intimidated by his mohawk and his black t-shirt with skulls and chains, but once Jensen takes out of his pocket a roll of cash, they don't question it further and get back on the van.  
Jensen turns towards his friends, eyes glinting with mischief.  
"Ok guys" he states "let's give my mum's boyfriend the _perfect_ Malibu welcome."  
He points at the boxes and winks.  
"Help yourselves."  
The group is stunned into silence for a moment, then, with a boisterous scream, they all run towards the van, unloading everything that's on it and ripping the boxes open, like kids on a Christmas morning.  
Panic ensues, as everybody tries to get to the best items before the others.  
"You can keep it or you can throw it away" Jensen shouts, his arms crossed on his chest and a satisfied expression on his face.  
MacKenzie, who's watching from the top of the stairs, shakes her head.  
"Oh, Jensen, you've really done it this time."  
All the boxes are brought inside the living room, where the sharing party continues, until Jensen grabs a handful of perfectly ironed shirts and walks up to the ocean-looking balcony.  
"Hey, people, watch this!" he exclaims, jumping over the edge and into the sea together with the shirts.  
As he surfaces, shaking his head like a giant dog, he flails his arms in the air.  
"Welcome to Malibu, motherfucker!" he shouts, as his friends laugh and cheer.  
Suddenly, the silence falls on the group, as a tall woman with short blond hair makes her way to the balcony.  
She gets until the edge, looks down and sees Jensen, in the water, surrounded by a bunch of floating clothes.  
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on.  
The woman's jaw clenches, as she takes off her sunglasses, revealing blue eyes throwing daggers at Jensen.  
"You all, go home. Out of my house. Jensen? You get back up here. _Right now!_ " her voice rises as she speaks, and on the last word sounds like a growl.  
Jensen swims rapidly towards the stepladder, and if he's shivering, well, it's not because the water's cold.  


 

  
"That was the final straw, Jensen" the woman says once everyone else is finally gone "you're going to England."  
Jensen rolls his eyes.  
"Yawn, the boarding school threat again" he answers, sounding bored.  
"Can't you at least make the effort of coming up with something new every once in a while, mum?"  
His voice is not so sure though, because his mother doesn't look like she's joking, this time.  
"I don't even recognize you anymore" she adds, walking up to him "and all of this has to stop. It's not healthy. Don't you understand the weight of what you have just done?!"  
The woman sounds tired, exasperated and sad, but Jensen's too busy curling up in his own misery to realize it.  
"So what? Big deal!" he states, shrugging.  
"You can simply replace me with a newer, trashier version, like you did with dad!"  
The woman's face, where the pain was so clearly painted until then, closes up completely as she looks up at Jensen with a blank expression.  
"You are going to boarding school in England, and that's final" she hisses, before turning his back to Jensen and walking away.  
Jensen throws angrily his shoes on the floor.  
"You think that just because dad went to boarding school in England that's going to magically straighten me out?"  
The woman stops, without turning.  
"I don't. I just think that I'm not good for you, apparently. Maybe someone else will be better at raising you than I was" she says, her voice so low that Jensen's not even sure he heard her right, but he just doesn't care.  
He's too mad to think straight.  
"Do you even _remember_ dad? Uh?" he retorts, bitter mockery lacing his words.  
The woman flinches, blatantly hurt, but resumes walking without another word, leaving Jensen alone and feeling hopelessly cold, despite the bright sun shining on him.  


 

  
Jensen can't sleep, that night.  
He keeps tossing and turning, desperately hoping that his mum will change her mind once more, as usual, even if he has the feeling that this time all is going to be different.  
He has just closed his eyes for the umpteenth time, willing his body to just _sleep_ , dammit, when the mattress dips and the covers are raised as MacKenzie slides next to him.  
"Hey, Mac" he greets her softly.  
"Aren't you a little old to sleep with your big brother?" he adds, jokingly, but it just takes one look at his sister's lost and scared eyes to make the laughter die in his throat.  
"You might have pushed her too far this time" she whispers, her voice shaking.  
"I know."  
Jensen can't lie to her.  
"I had to do it anyway, Mac."  
"But England is so far away!" she objects, sniffling, and Jensen holds her closer.  
"Well, at least they speak American there, right?"  
"Stop joking, Jensen! It's not funny! I don't-I can't make it without you!"  
MacKenzie snaps, sitting up and glaring at Jensen.  
He sighs and caresses her cheek.  
"Of course you can, Mac, don't be stupid. You're a strong girl, you don't need me."  
MacKenzie shakes her head vigorously, as she lays back down.  
"Who's going to cut the crusts off my sandwiches if you're not here?" she asks, in a tiny voice that reminds Jensen how young his little sister is.  
She's usually so mature that everyone around her forgets she's just eleven.  
Jensen doesn't answer to her question, and she didn't really expected an answer anyway. He just kisses her temple.  
"You're going to be fine, Mac. I promise" he murmurs, but she's already asleep.  


 

  
"In England it rains 200 days out of the year!"  
Jensen whines, as he checks his new residence for the following months on his computer.  
Behind him, his best friend Jason is checking out his clothes and shoes, as he always does when he comes over.  
Jason blinks, totally oblivious at what Jensen is talking about because his attention is all on Jensen's limited edition sneakers.  
He has wanted them forever.  
"You will definitely get SAD" he states, just to say something, and MacKenzie, who's getting everything Jensen owns out of his closet in order for him to pick the best clothes to bring along, glares at Jason.  
"He is sad _already_."  
Jason scoffs, then in an annoyed tone he explains "Seasonal affected disorder, squirt."  
MacKenzie rolls her eyes and goes back to the closet.  
Jason deems that the perfect moment, and grabs the sneakers from the pile.  
"You can't take these with you, Jen" he says, trying to sound genuinely concerned "they don't _do_ rain."  
Jensen's last worry are his shoes, especially a pair he just bought to make others jealous and never actually wore.  
"Just take them" he answers, waving his hand dismissively.  
Jason beams and puts them away in his backpack.  
"You promise to call me, right Jason? You won't let me there alone to rotten, won't you?" Jensen asks, and yes, maybe he sounds a little desperate, but who cares.  
If he can't be himself with his best friend, who can he be himself with?  
Aside from MacKenzie, that's obvious.  
Jason is still eyeing Jensen's clothes, scooping for something else he could maybe get out of this situation, but he still turns and offers him a plastic, fake smile.  
"Dude, who has your back? Every thing's going to suck without you."  
_Especially Genevieve, hopefully_ he adds in his mind.  
MacKenzie narrows her eyes: she has Jason already all figured out, but no matter how hard she's tried to explain it to Jensen, he has always brushed her off saying that those were guys things and she simply couldn't understand.  
Looking at Jensen, needy and a little gullible, as he hugs Jason tight telling him he's his best friend and he's gonna miss him, MacKenzie also sees Jason uncomfortable face, which shifts in another fake smile as soon as Jensen lets him go.  
_Maybe leaving Jason behind it's the only good thing to come out of all this_ , MacKenzie thinks.  


 

  


_TBC..._


	2. Second

  
Jensen's eyes widen, as a disgusted expression appears on his face.  
The building is _all bricks_ , red and old bricks, and the students are wearing ugly ass uniforms.  
Jensen would probably get sick, but luckily, he had been too nervous to eat anything.  
In between the people in the yard, a tall, blonde guy with a stuck up attitude is making his way through the students in order to get to the Dean.  
Behind him, another guy, slightly more reserved, with brown hair and eyes, is carrying a couple of dead pheasants.  
As they walk, the students bow the head at them, and the blonde guy even stops to hold a few stretched hands.  
They look at him like he's some sort of celebrity, and Jensen's even more disgusted.  
A celebrity? With _that_ nose?! And what's with the unibrow?!  
_Someone should tell him that even if they're men they're allowed to take care of their appearance, especially if mother nature cursed him with such an awful one._ Jensen thinks.  
He takes away his eyes from him, shivering, and his eyes shift towards a man, evidently older than the rest of the people crowding the yard, who is also getting greeted by the students.  
His smile looks friendly enough, and his eyes shine.  
He looks genuinely happy to be there.  
He's wearing a green shirt and a jacket, and sports a scruffy beard, which makes him look probably older than he actually is.  
He walks up to the car, to meet Jensen, and bends to reach the cab window.  
"You're Jensen Ackles, aren't you? I'm the Dean of this school, Jeffrey Morgan. You can call me Jeff."  
Jensen snorts.  
As if.  
The Dean doesn't look taken aback by Jensen's unfriendly attitude, and goes on.  
"Your mother told me you're going through rather a difficult stage; don't worry, I have a double first in difficult" he adds, winking at him.  
Jensen blinks, a little surprised by the man, who's completely different from the way he imagined the Dean of such an institution would be.  
Maybe there's a chance to adjust things so that his stay doesn't suck too much.  
"Listen, Mr. Morgan, I understand that you-"  
The Dean lifts a hand.  
"Lesson number one, Jensen. To me negotiation is like a gay club: not something I tend to enter into."  
The Dean straightens up.  
"Now, come along" he calls, without turning to see if Jensen is following.

 

  
The hand stretching goes on in the yard, until the cab's door is opened and Jensen steps out.  
When he does, everyone freezes, including the blonde asshole's groupies.  
Jensen went over the top, he knows it, but he had to do things in style; you only get one chance at making a first impression, after all.  
He's wearing his black combat boots, a pair of his most ragged jeans and a blue shirt splattered with what's supposed to look like blood.  
A red leather backpack, a few chains around his neck and his trusty Ray bans complete his outfit.  
Oh, and let's not forget his brand mark, the blue mohawk he's always been so proud of.  
He smirks at the students, strutting towards the school entrance.  
"Wow" one of the younger students murmurs "who is he? Is he new?"  
The new arrival diverted the attention from him, and the blond guy is livid.  
Everyone's looking at Jensen, now, who's crossing the yard with the Dean, until they stop in front of another student, with slightly long hair, blue eyes and a guitar case hanging off his shoulder.  
"Jensen, this is Christian. He'll be your big brother here. Get to know each other!"  
And with a friendly slap on both of their shoulders, the Dean is gone.  
Christian smiles friendly.  
"Hi, how do you do?" he asks, but before he can add anything else Jensen interrupts him.  
"I already am a big brother. I don't need one."  
Christian snickers.  
"It's just school lingo, Jensen. I'll be a friend, a helping hand, that's all."  
Jensen gives him a once-over, then shakes his head and slowly takes off his glasses.  
"Well, _Christian_ , I choose my friends, and FYI, you don't make the cut."  
Christian blinks, then smirks.  
"I'm quite sure that comment would sting a lot more if I knew what _FYI_ meant, but for the moment let's just pretend it's had the desired effect, shall we?"  
He shrugs and walks towards a couple of guys who were looking curiously at their exchange.  
"Saddle up, guys, we've got ourselves a bronco" Christian tells them, as they all watch Jensen shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

 

  
"Mr. Morgan! A gift for you" the blond guy exclaims, walking up to the Dean with a beaming smile.  
He snaps his fingers, and the brown haired guy who is following him hands him the pheasants.  
"One for you and one for Jared" he adds, his smile getting sly.  
The Dean takes the animals, looking a little disturbed.  
"Thank you, I guess."  
"I shot them myself" the blond guy states, proudly.  
"I don't doubt that you did" the Dean mutters, then smiles.  
"Perhaps you'd like to keep a hold of them while I welcome back the first years" he adds, dropping the pheasants back on the guy's arms "nice thought, though."  
The Dean walks away, leaving the blond guy fuming as his fingers clench and unclench on his preys.  
Time for his second task of the day.  
Followed by his minion, the blond guy walks up to Jensen.  
" _Salve, puer novellus_ " he greets Jensen "James Van Der Beek. Head Boy."  
He extends his hand towards Jensen, but his expression is so full of himself that Jensen wouldn't hold it even if his life depended on it.  
But James won't have any of it, and he forcefully grabs Jensen's hand in a vice.  
"You're supposed to shake the hand of the Head Boy out of respect" he hisses.  
Jensen narrows his eyes and frees his hand.  
"When the Head Boy has earned my respect, then I'll shake his hand, you SOB" he hisses back.  
James opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, stunned.  
"I'm sorry?" he asks, his nostrils flaring.  
Jensen grins.  
"Apology accepted!" he exclaims, as James' eyes shine with fury.  
The Head Boy closes his mouth and turns abruptly, hitting Jensen in the face with the tails of the pheasants.  
As he stomps towards the school, he doesn't stop growling for a second.  
"Stunningly horridious ego, desperately seeks a good bashing. Can we oblige? Methinks so."  
He glares at his minion, who simply lowers his head and agrees. 

 

  
Jensen is debating about following James and crack his head open against the brick wall or getting back in the cab, drive to the nearest bar, get wasted and fuck the bartender, when his phone rings.  
It's his mum.  
"Hey, baby, did you arrive? Is everything ok?"  
Jensen's jaw is clenched, and he doesn't answer.  
He hears his mum sigh and he can imagine her pinching her nose.  
"Listen, Jen, I really had to do this. You may not realize it now, but-you're not happy, and that's because you miss something. Nobody can give it to you but yourself."  
Jensen is still not talking, focused on stopping the traitorous tears which are menacing to fall.  
After a couple more minutes, his mum seems to give up.  
"I'll come back for you at the end of the semester, all right? I love you, Jensen."  
She hangs up, and Jensen has to bite his lip hard to avoid whimpering.  
He misses his house and his friends, but most of all he misses his mum and MacKenzie like severed limbs.  
Suddenly, just as he's putting himself back together, a rumble of thunder echoes way too close for Jensen's liking, and he hurries inside the school.

 

  
When he enters in the room assigned to him, Jensen is surprised to find noise, music and chitchatting.  
Aside from Christian, there are two more guys in the room.  
One is tall, with short dark hair and blue eyes, the other is a little smaller, with honey-colored hair, and he's strumming with Christian's guitar.  
Jensen is about to ask them to leave his room right the fuck now, but then he notices the lonely looking bed in the farther corner.  
"Wow, communal" he mutters, sitting on the mattress.  
"Get your stinking socks, Steve" Christian says, and only then Jensen notices the pile of clothes standing on his bed.  
The honey haired guy, Steve, apparently, scoops them all up with a glance at Jensen, who's staring at the part of mattress where the clothes were as if there had been a dead rat there.  
Jensen looks as Christian locks away some food, before taking his phone out and trying to get signal.  
"Good luck with that" the black haired guy says "there are only two hot spots around here."  
"It doesn't matter, since we're only allowed to use cellphones on the weekends" Christian adds.  
Jensen stares at him like he's crazy.  
"You're kidding, right? How am I supposed to call my therapist?!"  
The three guys crack up, while Christian suggest Jensen to put the phone away before the Patron catches him.  
"Where's your luggage, anyway?" Steve inquires.  
"It hasn't been delivered yet" Jensen answers, before the shocked expressions of his roommates unnerve him enough for him to ask "now what?!"

 

  
_Of **course** there isn't any kind of fucking **service** here.  
Of **course** I was supposed to bring it in **myself**.  
Of **course** it has started to rain just as the cab driver has left my **luggage** on the sidewalk.  
Of **course** everything I own is now dripping, soaking wet and probably **ruined**.  
Fuck the rain, fuck this country, fuck this school, fuck my mum, **fuck** -_  
"Why is your luggage full of water bottles?!" the black haired guy, Kerr, as they call him, asks, picking up his sparkling water.  
"I might get thirsty" Jensen snaps at him, grabbing the bottle and putting it back together with the others.  
"You know, in the UK we have this amazing thing. It's called a tap" Christian mocks him, but Jensen is too focused on pitying himself and his misery to hear what he has to say.  
Just as he squeezes his favorite shirt, the door slams open and a scruffy looking man with squinty eyes, grey hair and a thick beard enters.  
"Welcome back, idjits" he greets them.  
He's wearing a flannel shirt, old looking jeans and a baseball cap.  
Jensen beams at him, relieved.  
"Oh, good, staff! How quickly can you get all this stuff cleaned?" he asks, looking at the man expectantly.  
The man blinks and turns towards Kerr.  
"Is he-"  
Kerr nods.  
"American."  
The man grimaces.  
"We had one of those in 1997. Not good."  
Jensen, once he sees the man's not paying him any attention, goes back to whining and squeezing.  
"Accustom him to my rules, and he should be in the correct uniform for a start" the man orders to the rest of the guys, who just nod.  
The man looks pleased.  
"Mobile phones now, come on."  
The guys sigh and put their phones on the tray the man is carrying, one by one.  
When he walks up to Jensen's bed and grabs his phone and iPod, Jensen stands up from in front of his suitcase and tries to stop him.  
"Hands off, dude!" he states.  
The man just glares at him, so Jensen decides to try a different approach and he drops his three best shirts on the tray.  
"Line dry, press, no starch and no creases" he states.  
The man narrows his eyes.  
"How _dare_ you. No mufti for a week."  
Jensen snorts.  
" _Mufti_ might be your thing pal, but it surely isn't mine."  
"He means no home clothes for a week" Kerr explains, but Jensen just rolls his eyes.  
"Like I give a shit! I'll be gone by then" he retorts and everyone gasps.  
"Language! Three Sundays detention. For the whole dorm" the man growls, leaving the room.  
"Thanks a lot for that, you utter moron" Steve spats.  
"What are you, mental?" Kerr echoes.  
Jensen is shocked.  
"What are you talking about?! He was a grade one a-hole with a severe attitudinal problem!"  
Christian lifts a hand to stop the rest of the guys from complaining some more.  
"The bell's going to go in a minute, so-just put your uniform on. _Now_."

 

  
Amongst the plain, black shoes crowding up the corridors, Jensen's boots stand out like they were painted in lime green.  
"You will never get away with that uniform, for start, and FYI, no drinking, no smoking, no alcohol" Christian tells Jensen as they walk towards the main hall.  
"No fireworks, no dangerous weapons, no illegal drugs" he adds, as an afterthought.  
Jensen is wearing military pants of the same color of the uniform ones, and instead of the white shirt he's wearing a wife beater under the red jacket.  
His hair is styled in his usual mohawk.  
Christian, apparently oblivious of Jensen's wandering mind, goes on explaining the rules of the school.  
"If you have a problem with someone, no random bitching. Structure your point. Also, no web surfing, no bullying- _Jensen_. Are you listening to me?!" he snaps in the end, finally realizing Jensen hasn't been paying attention at all.  
Jensen blinks, but before he can answer Christian grabs the lapels of his jacket and slams him against the wall.  
"Ok, let me make this easy for you. If you behave like an asshole, we _all_ suffer. So, don't get us in your shit, or we will break you."  
Jensen swallows, hard, and nods.  
Once Christian is sure that he has made his point, he lets Jensen go, and they resume walking.  
As they go, lots of students greet Christian, in a completely different way from the deferent one they used with James.  
"What are you, like, prom king or something?" Jensen inquires.  
"Christian has a terrible affliction" Steve explains, cutting in "you're actually lucky that you don't have it. It's called _popularity_."  
"Ah fucking ah" Jensen retorts, dropping on the first chair he sees.  
"Get up! We have to wait for Mr. Morgan and the prefects before we can sit" Kerr explains, shaking Jensen's shoulder.  
"Screw them" Jensen answers, but then Christian and Kerr grab his arms and force him up.  
Jensen is about to start insulting them for physically abusing of him, when everyone's eyes shift to the entrance door.  
Jensen even recognizes a dreamy glint on a few faces.  
"Well, hello, Jared" Kerr sighs "how kind of you to grace us with your gorgeous presence."  
"There's a chick?" Jensen asks, excited.  
The name is a little odd, but it must be a girl, right?  
What other reason can there be for the students to get so worked up?  
It's a guys only school, so it makes sense for them to look forward to-  
When he turns, his eyes go wide and his mouth falls open by its own volition.  
The one who's entering the hall now is most definitely _not_ a chick.  
First of all, he's tall.  
Not average tall.  
Sasquatch tall.  
He probably outgoes Kerr (who's pretty tall for his age) of at least a head.  
He's wearing a uniform quite similar to theirs, but on him it looks-different.  
He has brown hair, flopping on his shoulder in a disarranged mop which still manages to look enticing, and big, hazel eyes, gleaming in the faint light coming from outside.  
His lips are curved in a warm smile, and-are those _dimples_?!  
He pushes one hand in a pocket while he's fixing his tie with the other, and Jensen has to swallow thickly, because damn.  
The guy's hands are _huge_.  
Let's not get started with his chest and biceps, that the shirt and jacket can barely contain, because Jensen has trouble breathing as it is.  
_What the fuck?!_ he panics _what's happening to me?! I'm not gay! I've never been! I have a girlfriend home with the most perfect pair of tits in California!_  
He closes his eyes and shakes his head.  
It must be the jet lag. And the weather.  
What did Jason say? SAD.  
Maybe that's it.  
He breaths a little more freely, now that he has somehow explained the situation.  
"Cue James in three, two, one..." The guys are looking expectantly at Jared, and as they do the countdown, James approaches Jared and grabs his arm.  
Jared smile seems to falter a little, as he takes a step back.  
Jensen blinks, confused and looks away, weirdly unnerved by what he has just witnessed.  
Next to the entrance door there is a couple of men, probably teachers.  
One, tall with dark hair, is wearing a gym suit, while the other, no hair and a mischievous light in his eyes, wears a brown suit.  
They are talking softly and laughing.  
Jensen finds himself smiling despite himself.

 

 

_TBC..._


	3. Third

 

  
Mr. Morgan rings a little golden bell and everyone sits.  
"I love that Jared's always here at the beginning of the term" Steve says, chuckling "such a perfect welcome back."  
Jensen gapes.  
"Are you _gay_?!" he asks, with a shocked face.  
Steve arches an eyebrow.  
"Yes, I am. As a matter of fact, so are Kerr and Christian."  
Jensen looks like he has forgotten how to breathe, as his eyes shift from one to the other.  
"But-you-I'm not-"  
Christian glares at him.  
"Will it be a problem?" he asks, a dangerous edge to his voice.  
Jensen would like to say that yes, of course it will be, he's not gay and what if they look at him as he changes or molest him in his sleep and-  
Then he sees Kerr's nervous face and Steve's twitching hand, and simply shakes his head.  
"Of course not" he adds "you guys just-surprised me, that's all. So, who is Jared?" he asks, to change the topic, but as soon as he has he regrets it.  
He doesn't want to know more about the guy, dammit, he messed him up enough already.  
He has asked now, though, so he braces himself for what's to come.  
"Mr. Morgan's son" Steve answers "devastating heartthrob."  
"Won't look at any of us since he got caught playing doctors and nurses with a younger student two years ago" Kerr adds.  
"Mr. Morgan didn't take it well. He's-well, let's just say he hasn't a open mind. Like, at all" Christian concludes.  
Jensen now is shocked for real.  
"No shit. Are you telling me that man is a homophobe?!" he can't believe it.  
The Dean seemed so-accepting, and tolerating.  
"Oh, no! He doesn't mind about the students being gay. He just can't stand the idea that his son is."  
Steve looks sad, and Christian squeezes his arm.  
Something tells Jensen that Steve went through something similar himself.  
Christian offers Jensen a little smile.  
"You see, Jensen, being the Dean of this school is a very important position. People is looking up to you, and you have to maintain some sort of image. A gay son would not-make the cut."  
Jensen cringes when he hears his own words and recognizes them for the mean insult they are.  
"Listen, Christian, I-"  
Christian lifts a hand.  
"Leave it."  
"Anyway" Steve continues, apparently back in control "Fraternizing is forbidden, since then."  
Just as Jensen is about to ask some more, like why is James allowed to touch Jared and make him feel uncomfortable, then, the bell rings again and breakfast arrives.

 

  
Later in the week, in the corridor, Jensen is faced with James once again.  
This time, though, Christian is with him, and forcefully takes him out of James's way.  
James still sees Jensen, and stops in front of him.  
"We meet again" he says, his voice sugary and fakely affective "how sublime. Learn the rules: when it comes to right of way, there is a hierarchy."  
James lifts his hand way up and moves it down, as he illustrates it to Jensen.  
"Teachers, prefects, scholars, dogs, vermin, Americans."  
Jensen is thrumming with rage, but Christian's hand on his arm keeps him grounded.  
"See to it that he falls in line, Christian" James demands, before stomping away. 

 

  
One night, as Jensen is lost in his music (being the weekend and all, he has got his iPod back) the rest of the guys can't help gossiping about him.  
"I heard that California guys wax their ass" Steve whispers conspiringly.  
"Do you think he's gay?" Christian asks.  
Kerr snorts.  
"Come on, that guy's not only gay. He's a slut. it's obvious! Have you seen the way he struts his hips? Besides, just look at him walk. He's more bowlegged than Joshua."  
That makes them all laugh so hard that Jensen takes off his earphones and turns, looking at them quizzically.  
"What?!"  
"How many guys have you shagged?" Steve inquires.  
Jensen gapes.  
He's about to tell them that NO, HE'S NOT GAY, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM when he decides to play with them a little instead.  
He sits back on his bed and pretends to ponder for a moment.  
"Well, there was Brandon, eight-pack, Chase, jock, Tyler, Billionaire, Derek-Kelly Slater's cousin, and Jack. All around sick. Sick body, sicker mind."  
The guys are staring at him, their mouths open.  
"Christ" Kerr states.  
When the Patron comes in and orders them to turn off the lights, Jensen lays down with a satisfied smirk on his face and waits for the rest of the guys to fall asleep before silently getting up and sneaking to the computer room.

 

  
He's there, writing a desperate email to Jason, filled with how his roommates are ugly losers and the school sucks when he sees a shadow passing outside the computer room.  
He'd recognize the honey-colored hair everywhere: that's Steve.  
Curious, he follows him and ends up in the basement, where, surprisingly, there's an arm grabbing him and pulling him inside.  
A little worried, Jensen stops the door from closing and risks a sneaky glance inside: it's Christian who's pressing Steve against the wall before leaning in and devouring his mouth.  
By the breathy moan Steve lets out and by the way his arms cling at Christian's body, Jensen gets that they must be used to indulge in such activities.  
He steps back and lets the door close, before returning to the computer room.  
As he walks towards the room, though, a bell starts ringing.  
"Fire practice! the Patron shouts "come on, idjits, you know the drill, for goodness sake!"  
"Shit!" Jensen mutters, and exits from a window.  
If they catch him out of bed after lights out, there will be trouble.  
"Don't be so slow! What if there was a real fire, uh? We'll all be burned to a crisp!"  
Jensen can still hear the Patron shouting at the students, and looks around, searching for a place to hide: luckily, another window is open, and the lights are on, so he enters, trying to be inconspicuous.  
He evidently fails, because there's water splashing and then a voice he never heard asks "who's there?"  
"Jensen" he answers.  
"Last name?" the voice asks again.  
"Ackles. Jensen Ackles" he repeats, then he curses himself inwardly for being so stupid.  
Why didn't he give another name, any other name but the real one? Wasn't he trying to stay out of trouble?  
It's the voice, he decides.  
The voice is velvety and warm, and it doesn't sound dangerous or stern.  
It sounds-curious.  
It comes from behind a plastic curtain covering a bathtub, so, whoever is talking to him is having a bath.  
Naked.  
Jensen swallows nervously.  
"Well, Ackles, Jensen Ackles, isn't there a fire practice outside?" the voice inquires, sounding amused.  
Is the guy-flirting with him?  
Jensen shifts his weight from one foot to the other.  
"Sorry, I-I'm new here" he answers.  
The guy chuckles.  
"Yes, that's obvious. But weren't you listening in physics class? Fire tends to be hot and the point is to avoid it."  
The guy is blatantly mocking Jensen, and still, weirdly enough, Jensen doesn't care.  
Their friendly banter is comfortable, almost familiar, and it makes him feel at ease for the first time since he left Malibu.  
After they have exchanged a few more sentences, Jensen deems it time to go, since without realizing it, he has kept on getting closer to the bathtub and he's now standing so close that if he extended an arm he could touch the curtain.  
The guy clears his throat.  
"Out the door, turn left and then down the stairs" he explains.  
"Oh! Run towards the bright orange flickery thing, right?" Jensen asks, jokingly.  
As he's about to leave, some more water splashes as the guy probably tries to adjust himself.  
"Try not to get caught" the voice says, and Jensen grins.  
"Excellent point."

 

  
Something really weird happens to Jensen during his first Lacrosse practice.  
He has been forced by the Dean to sign up for the team, _to socialize_ , he said, and Jensen has never played before so he figures that he'll be sitting on the bench and get the Dean off of his back.  
Win/win situation.  
Of course, that was before he discovered that James is the captain of the team and that his minion, Joshua, Kerr, Christian and Steve all play in the team.  
His roommates seem genuinely happy to see him, and he doesn't have the heart to tell them he doesn't even know what the sport is about.  
What he's sure about is that the team is not good.  
Why would Tom the gym teacher say _we may not win the championships, but we'll win a lot of friends_ otherwise?  
That's the philosophy of a loser.  
"So bloody English" Jensen mutters.  
It's meant for his ears only, but James seems to have like a super hearing sense, because he walks up to Jensen and crosses his arms on his chest, challenge burning in his piggy eyes.  
"You could do better?" he asks, laughing incredulously.  
Jensen has never been good at stepping back from a challenge, but in this situation, seeing how bad of a leader this guy is, in any possible field he attempts to be one, Jensen decides that he won't let him win.  
He lifts his chin defiantly and smirks.  
"Laugh it up, but I could whip all of your asses blindfolded."  
"This I'd love to see" James says, getting close, and Jensen grabs a stick and unwraps it.  
"Do your worst, horse face."  
Of course, Jensen couldn't expect James to play fair; as soon as Tom whistles the beginning of the match, the guy's on him, trying to beat him with the stick.  
Jensen gives back as good as he can, and even if Tom keeps whistling and threatening to call the Dean, they don't separate until they hear the honking of a car.  
Jared's car.  
The guy drives up to the Lacrosse field and grins at them.  
"Hi, Jared!" James greets him immediately, standing up.  
"Dig the car."  
Jared ignores him, focusing on Jensen instead.  
"Hello, Ackles, Jensen Ackles" he says, softly, and Jensen would recognize that voice anywhere.  
It's the bathtub guy.  
Before he can answer him, though, Jared winks at him and drives away.  
Jensen turns towards James, sees the rage in his eyes and can't help himself.  
"What's wrong, James? Do you like Jared?" he asks, feigning innocence.  
"Would you like to kiss him? Touch him? Lick him? Where?"  
James blushes furiously.  
"Don't-don't be so immature!" he stutters "that is not-you don't know-"  
Jensen snorts.  
"Don't try and hide it, honey. I can see it on your face. And so could Jared. But guess what?"  
He licks provocatively his lips.  
"I think he likes me more."  
James' eyes go wide, and he stomps away, followed by Joshua.  
Jensen snickers, but somehow his heart doesn't slow down, and his brain keeps replaying Jared's smile and the way his name sounds when he pronounces it.

 

  
"How on Earth did Jared know his name uh?!"  
James throws the Lacrosse stick on the floor, and then walks up to a small table in the farthest corner of her room where, on a mirror, there's a collection of Jared's pictures.  
"I don't understand" he mutters, tracing Jared's jaw with a trembling finger "Jared's got a crush on me. Why was he looking at him?!"  
Joshua clears his throat.  
"Maybe Jared was looking at him so he didn't come across as looking at you" he tries.  
"He needs to be careful, you know that. He can't get caught. And besides, if he looked at you too much, he wouldn't be able to control himself."  
James ponders about it for a few moments, then a relieved smile appears on his face.  
"Yeah, you're probably right" he agrees "but we still have to do something about little Mr. USA."  
He cracks his knuckles.  
"He needs a lesson in exactly who's boss, methinks."

 

  
Jensen slams the door of the Dean's office open and struts inside.  
"I didn't start it! It wasn't my fault!" he exclaims, but the Dean lifts a hand and stops him.  
"I know perfectly well what happened, Jensen. But it's you I want to talk to anyway."  
The Dean sighs.  
"Listen, Jensen, this school has never produced anyone of note. If your aim is to get on the pages of one of those magazines America seems to enjoy so much, this isn't the place for you."  
The Dean stands up, walks around his desk and leans on it.  
"What we do produce are smart, independent, free-thinking, good-hearted guys, who remain friends for life."  
The Dean smiles at him.  
"The kind of guy that, behind all your wisecracks, I know you are."  
Jensen excuses himself, a little dazed by the Dean's words.  
No one has ever believed in him before, and it's a weird feeling.  
He can't relent, though: his mum won't be able to force him to stay there if they send him back home, right?  
He's walking in the yard towards his room when a bucket of ice cold water falls on him.  
He looks up, soaking wet, and he sees Joshua, with a shocked face, and James, who simply smirks.  
"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" he exclaims, faking concern.  
"Just can't trust the help these days, I'm afraid."

 

 

Jensen tries everything to dry up, but not even his portable tan kit is enough, and he keeps shaking, all curled up on the windowsill, hoping the little sun that's filtering through the clouds will help.  
He sneezes, and feels lonely and miserable.  
When the door opens and Christian enters, Jensen doesn't even look up.  
His hair are a mess and he doesn't know how to set them back, as he's fresh out of gel and thanks to his outburst the first day it's been three weeks since any of his roommates (including him) has been allowed out.  
Christian simply huffs, and would probably like to point out how Jensen's bed hasn't been done and his side of the room looks like a pigpen, but then he takes a better look at him and gets worried.  
"Jensen, you're freezing. You need a jumper" he states.  
"Whatever that is, I don't think I have one" Jensen mutters, and Christian rolls his eyes, throwing one of his at him.  
Jensen puts it on, and sighs, relieved, as soon as he feels a little warmer.  
"I didn't really come prepared" he tries to explain "I didn't figure I'd be here this long, you know."  
Christian nods, understandingly, then takes out his phone from the drawer and checks it.  
"What-how?! Didn't the Patron took all the phones?" Jensen asks, surprised, and Christian smirks.  
"Nope. He took all _your_ phone, but only our decoys. None of them work, we keep our real phones hidden."  
Jensen looks lost, and maybe for the first time his hard bad boy armor starts cracking.  
Christian seems to notice, because he hands him his phone.  
"Take it. Call your parents, your therapist, whoever you need to call. Knock yourself out."  
Jensen stares back at him.  
"Why would you do this for me?" he asks, with a bitter smile.  
"You must think I'm a total asshole."  
_You wouldn't be that far from the truth_ he adds in his mind.  
But Christian just shakes his head.  
"No, you _behave_ like an asshole. There's a difference. I'm not some Malibu therapist, but I can guess that you're feeling scared and a little bit homesick, which, in my experience, doesn't actually make you a bad person. Besides, I know you saw us the other night."  
Jensen eyes snap up.  
"I didn't mean to spy on you! It's just-Steve went in there alone, and an arm grabbed him, and-"  
Christian grabs Jensen's arm and squeezes it, reassuringly.  
"Hey, man, it's ok. I mean, if you had wanted to watch you wouldn't have run away after the chastest of kisses, right?" he jokes, then he turns serious again.  
"Honestly? I thought you would tell on us. Or at least make fun of us. But you didn't."  
Christian's eyes shift.  
"It's not easy for us, you know. Steve has been disowned by his family when they found out he was gay, and they sent him here so that they never had to see him until he still is a minor. He has been spending all summers and holidays at my house, with me and my parents, even before we got together."  
Finally everything makes sense.  
"That's why he was so affected by Jared's story" Jensen points out and Christian nods.  
"So, there you have it. You're not an asshole, and I owe you."  
Christian is still not looking at Jensen, so his eyes stop on Jensen's bedside table.  
"Nice photo" he says, picking it up, and Jensen feels his stomach clench in a very familiar way.  
"Is this your dad? Is he gonna come out and visit?"  
Jensen bites his lower lip, hard.  
"He-he died in a car accident when I was 11" he explains in a murmur.  
Christian freezes and turns abruptly towards him.  
"God, Jensen, I'm so sorry" he says, at a loss for words.  
Then, suddenly, a thought crosses his mind.  
"Are you serious about getting out of here?"  
Jensen nods.  
"Then you're going to have to get yourself expelled by the Honor Court" Christian concludes matter-of-factly.  
Jensen arches an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, the Honor Court it's like a trial in front of the whole school by your peers, teachers, the Head Boy and Mr. Morgan. But I can tell you right now it hardly ever happens."  
Christian's eyes glint.  
"If you really want to get expelled, Jensen, you can't just rock the boat. You have to drive it up onto the rocks, set fire to the galley and dance on the burning deck. At least."  
Jensen chuckles.  
"Aye aye, Captain" he answers, saluting mockingly.  
Christian stands up and pats Jensen's knee.  
"Make your calls."  


 

 

_TBC..._


	4. Fourth

 

 

_"Hi, Jason! How are things going over there? I'm going to escape soon, this is Hell!"_  
Jason turns towards a very naked and very sweaty Genevieve.  
"Who IS that?! Flat hair, circles under his eyes...and what's with that hideous sweater?!" She says, wrinkling her little nose.  
Jensen keeps talking, but Genevieve has started playing with Jason's nipples, and fuck, how hard does that make him?!  
"Baby, wait a sec" he orders, stopping her fingers just as Jensen concludes _"please, keep a close eye on Genevieve for me. I know she loves me and all, but I don't want some asshole to put his dirty hands on her."_  
Jason shifts in the bed until Genevieve is under him, giggling.  
"So, what do you say, baby? How are my hands?"  
He cups her breasts, licking her throat, and her laughter turns into moans.  
"God, Jason, your hands are-damn!"  
Jason chuckles.  
"Well, I'm keeping a _very_ close eye on you. Who says I'm a bad friend?" he retaliates, starting to kiss his way down towards her groin.

 

  
That night, just after the lights are down, Jensen's roommates sit on his bed.  
"I've had a word with the boys" Christian starts "and some of them took a little more convincing than others, but it's decided: we're going to help you get expelled. We can call it Operation Freedom."  
"But!" Steve adds "the Dean is a very understanding person, so there's no way you can get expelled with your usual school pranks. We need to up the ante. In fact, we need to focus on his biggest weakness."  
Jensen arches an eyebrow.  
"And how exactly are we gonna do that?"  
Christian smirks.  
"It's easy. You have to seduce Jared."  
Jensen's eyes go wide.  
"WHAT?!"  
Kerr huffs.  
"Oh, come on, Jensen! With all the experience you have, how hard can it possibly be?! You saw it at the Lacrosse field. He's into you already!"  
"Yeah, and James would have an absolute fit" Christian points out.  
"Now, _that's_ a definite bonus" Kerr agrees.  
Jensen's cheeks burn but he just nods.  
"Ok, listen. This Saturday is the day out in the town. We know the bar Jared uses to hang out at, which incidentally is the same one James, Joshua and all the other morons of this school hang at. Mainly because it's the only one in town."  
Steve snorts.  
"So, I suggest we get you something fancy, because before you can actually snog Jared you have to attract him. Something that says _elegant_ , but at the same time _incredibly slutty and available_. In fact" he adds after a moment "I'm not all that bothered by _elegant_."  
They all laugh and then start to plan, and Jensen feels like he's the main character of an episode from _Queer eye for the straight guy_.  
Only that the queer eye is supposed to make him look queer too, and he's not so sure he's completely ok with that, especially because some part of him can't wait for it to happen.

 

  
As soon as they get to town, after they have got the clothes, they stop to the hairdresser at the Kripke Salon.  
"Eric, we have an emergency" Christian explains, and then points at Jensen's hair.  
"Yikes!" the guy exclaims "aren't you the soufflé that didn't arise?!"  
Jensen touches his dead mohawk.  
"Tell me about it" he mutters. "What can you do for my hair?"  
Eric walks around Jensen, smells his hair, checks his products and then crosses his arms against his chest.  
"What about something a little bit more-natural?"  
Jensen blinks.  
"Natural?"  
"Aye! The _real_ you!" he explains, excited.  
Jensen looks at the guys, and they all smile and nod.  
"Trust this guy" Kerr suggest "he's crazy, but he's a genius."  
Jensen thinks about it for one more second, then he looks at Eric.  
"Let's do this."

 

  
When Jensen is finally allowed to look at his reflection, he can't believe at what he's seeing.  
His hair is short, of a glimmering dark blonde color.  
No trace of the bad boy image it took so long for him to build: the guy staring back at him is the same guy who decided to hide his pain and fragility behind a blue tower of hair, a week after his dad died.  
And the main reason why he did it was-  
"You look exactly like your dad" Christian says, in a whisper, and Jensen nods, unable to speak.  
He didn't realize how much he had missed seeing his father's features on himself.  
Suddenly, a weight he didn't know he was carrying has been lifted, and Jensen feels like he can walk tall and proud once again.  
When he thanks Eric, it's a _thank you_ straight from the heart.

 

  
The guys enter the bar when the music has already started to play, and Jensen goes straight for Jared, ignoring James who's standing next to him and is desperately trying to get his attention.  
Jared looks uncomfortable, but his eyes lighten up as soon as he sees Jensen walking towards him.  
"Hi" Jensen greets him, smiling.  
Jared beams at him.  
"Hello, trouble, I like your hair."  
Jensen blushes a little at the compliment.  
"What do you think you're doing?" James hisses.  
"This is a bar, not a dwarf hookers' convention."  
Jensen looks back at his tight shirt and his low cut jeans, then he looks back at James, feigning shame.  
"I'm so sorry! I must say that you look incredible, though. I didn't know the cowboy look was back in fashion."  
Then, without expecting an answer from James, he grabs Jared's arm.  
"Let's dance, I love this song!"  
Jensen has always danced hip hop music, and he's very good at it.  
Jared is stunned, as he follows Jensen's hips movements and tries to keep the rhythm.  
"You don't dance a lot, do you?" Jensen shouts at him, to be heard above the music.  
"Never" Jared answers, and they both laugh.  
James narrows his eyes.  
He won't let that fucker ruin his life plan.  
He approaches them from the back, and as Jensen attempts a particularly choreographed move he spills his drink on the floor.  
Jensen slips and goes down, hitting his head on the floor.  
The music stops, as Jared kneels next to him.  
"Hey, are you ok?" he asks, concerned.  
Jensen giggles.  
"You're _awesome_ , Jared. You're awesome and so fucking _hot_."  
"He should be taken to bed" Kerr suggests, and Jensen winks at Jared.  
"Well, Jared here can do the honors" he says, and everybody laughs but James, who looks like he has just swallowed a lemon.  
"You are a horridious piece of work" he growls, but no one really pay attention to him.  
"Jared doesn't think so" Jensen murmurs, and has the pleasure of seeing Jared's cheek turn red.  
"He's a little concussed, he just needs some air" Jared explains, and helps Jensen up.  
As they step outside the bar, James grabs Joshua's arm.  
"He's up to something. Follow them and report back to me."

 

  
Jared sits on a bench and motioned for Jensen to sit next to him.  
"So, explain yourself to me, Mister Ackles" he says, with a playful smile on his face.  
"I can't explain myself because I'm not exactly myself lately, but I know that there's something else I'd like to do to you" Jensen murmurs, leaning in.  
He's about to brush Jared's lips when Jared stops him, pushing Jensen's head back, gently.  
Jensen snorts.  
"You so don't need to play hard to get, Jared. I'm totally into you" Jensen states, and then he stops breathing because, fuck, it's true.  
He _is_ into Jared.  
Fuck.  
His sudden silence and flushing is obviously misinterpreted by Jared.  
"Hey, Jensen, look at me! I'm not-rejecting you, not at all. In fact" he sighs "I'm totally into you too. Since that night in my bathroom."  
Jensen looks at his hands, suddenly shy, and Jared covers them with his.  
"But I'm also sober and sensible, and you are overexcited and concussed. You said it yourself, you're not yourself right now. And I want to do this right-or not at all."  
_There will be Hell to pay for this_ is what he doesn't say, but Jensen guesses it nonetheless.  
Jared seems to assess him for a moment before his eyes turn determinate.  
"I have to return to school tomorrow, but I'll be back here on the 18th" he says.  
"I'll make you a deal. No more head-fry behavior, which I sense it might be your forte, and I'll see you then."  
Jensen pretends to consider it.  
"I won't fry your head if you don't poach my heart" he retaliates.  
He means it as a joke, but Jared's expression is deadly serious as he answers "I won't".  
"Then it's a deal" Jensen concludes, and leans in again.  
This time Jared's face comes towards him too, and Jensen closes his eyes, ready to savour the kiss, when someone clears his throat.  
They turn towards the door and see Joshua, who's nervously playing with the hem of his shirt.  
"Crap, it's Cerberus" Jared growls.  
"Fraternizing is not allowed, as you are well aware" Joshua says, hurriedly, but there's more fear than malice in his eyes.  
Jensen and Jared wave at each other, and Jensen goes back inside.  
"So what, now you're going to tell James about this?" Jared asks.  
Joshua pales.  
"If I do, he will not only shoot the messenger, he will skin me alive first."  
Jared grins.  
"Then I think it's a no-brainer, don't you?"

 

  
The guys run to Jensen as soon as they see him walking back inside the bar.  
"So, is the operation well and truly underway?" Steve asks.  
Jensen shrugs.  
"I don't know! James didn't come, so it just depends on wether his faithful minion decides to tell him."  
They all look at Joshua walking up to James and reassure him.  
"Clearly not" Christian mutters, but Kerr's face lightens up.  
"I knew he wasn't bad" he says "He's just afraid of him."  
His roommates turn towards him.  
"Kerr, are you telling us that you have a crush on Joshua?" Jensen inquires, shocked.  
Kerr blushes.  
"I do. We used to be best friends, but since when he got roomed with James he's changed. I know he's still the same though, he just needs to find the courage to stand up to him."  
Steve squeezes his shoulder, while Christian and Jensen exchange a glance.  
"Anyway, if Joshua doesn't tell James, it means that we'll have to rethink our plan" Christian states after a few moments of silence.  
Jensen looks torn.  
"What's wrong, Jensen?" Kerr asks, glad to focus the attention on someone else.  
"Nothing, I just-isn't it ironic how my ticket out of here just might be the reason I want to stay? I mean, one of the reasons, anyway."  
He doesn't have the strength to look up at them, especially when Christian laughs, but then his hand is on his head, ruffling his hair.  
"I think the ice king is melting, fellas" he states, and Jensen bats his hand away.  
"Quit it, fucker, don't mess with my hair or I'll cut yours while you sleep" he snaps.  
"That's more like it!" Steve exclaims, laughing too.  
The atmosphere is so relaxed, and they have shared so much during the last weeks that Jensen decides to come clean about it all.  
"Guys, there's something I have to tell you."  
Steve rolls his eyes.  
"You never did it with a guy, did you?" he asks, as he already knows the answer.  
He blushes furiously.  
"No. I never even liked a guy before, and I've only had sex with my girlfriend Genevieve. And not all that often, either. I'm practically a priest."  
"Welcome to the convent!" Kerr exclaims.  
They all laugh once more, and Jensen, for the first time, wants to stay.

 

  
The day of the Lacrosse tournament, the Dean comes by the locker room.  
Everyone else is already on the field, only Jensen, Christian and Steve are still sitting down, holding their heads.  
"Perhaps one of you would like to explain last night to me" he starts. "Christian?"  
"We-we just got a little bit carried away" Christian says.  
The Dean snorts.  
"Well, as I understand it, Steve got totally carried away by Mr. Welling and Mr. Rosenbaum after he lay in a pool of his own vomit."  
Steve's face turn almost comically red, then white and finally green as he tries not to give a repeat performance of the previous night just by remembering it.  
"Actually, it was Christian's vomit, Mr. Morgan. I was just lying in it."  
The Dean gapes at them, then turns towards Jensen.  
"Jensen, I don't know whether to be pleased that you finally made some friends here or furious that you've led them astray."  
The three guys keep their head down until the Dean dismisses them, but as they exit the locker room, the Dean calls Jensen back.  
"I gave your mother my word that I'd try and help you, but I'll be honest: you're making it awfully difficult."  
Jensen's eyes shift, and he feels uncomfortable until the Dean puts a hand on his shoulder.  
"You're cleverer and better than this, Jensen. Why don't you give yourself a chance? Why don't you even try?"  
He sounds so full of hope for Jensen's future that Jensen feels some ancestral node dissolve.  
The Dean smiles.  
"You can rise to the occasion; I've had multiple chances of seeing that when you put your mind to something, you can do it. Don't give up on yourself, because I haven't. And neither has your mother."  
Jensen nods, unable to answer, and then walks out into the field.  
When the others ask him what did the Dean want, he lies and tells them he only asked for a good Spa destination.

 

  
Lacrosse is an exhilarating sport, is fast-paced and full of action.  
Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops, precision passes and dodges, mastering the stick to throw, catch and scoop the ball.  
Jensen never thought he'd like it so much, or that he'd even be so good at it.  
He just _is_.  
And after the first couple of games, when the rest of the team sees that his suggestions really help, they start to ask him, and to rely on him, and suddenly he's the captain instead of James.  
Who doesn't take it very well.  
Game after game, the team keeps winning, as it hadn't done since 1976, and Jensen feels more and more comfortable both in the school and in his own skin.  
Which is nothing short than a miracle, really.  
And as in a montage, the weeks pass by, the school gets to the championship finals and the day of Jensen and Jared's big date arrives.

 

 

 

  
Jensen is writing another email to Jason, telling him all about how things have changed lately and how, even if he still misses him, Genevieve and his family, he's starting somehow to fit in, when Steve comes knocking at the computer room's door.  
"Lover boy's waiting outside for you" Steve announces, winking, and Jensen immediately stands up.  
He can feel gazillions of butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and he really hopes it doesn't mean he's coming down with something because this would definitely be the worst moment for a cold.  
Steve gets him out of his reverie snapping his fingers in front of his face.  
"Remember that you want someone to catch you out, so stay near school."  
Jensen bites his lower lip and clenches and unclenches his fists.  
"Hey" Steve says, softly.  
"No one would think any less of you if you changed your mind, you know."  
Jensen smiles at him and nods, before Steve hugs him.  
"Thank you, Steve" Jensen mutters against his sweater "for everything."  
Steve releases him and nudges his shoulder.  
"Oh, don't be silly. That's what friends are for. Even vicarious ones."  
Jensen would like to protest, to tell him that no, he got it all wrong, that they are the first real friends he ever had and he treasures them.  
He would like to, but in the end he doesn't, because those words are still not ready to be pronounced.  
He nudges Steve's shoulder back and walks outside to meet Jared, still confused and unsure but with the feeling that this date will change everything.  
In his haste of leaving neither he nor Steve notice that Jensen forgot to log off the computer, and none of them knows that someone else will enter after them and take the Jensen matter into his own hands.

 

 

_TBC..._

 


	5. Fifth

  
Jared is standing against his car, arms crossed, and his leg is twitching nervously.  
"Jared Morgan! Nice to finally see you when I'm not delirious or half naked" Jensen jokes as he walks towards him.  
Jared beams at him, looking relieved.  
"Don't speak too soon" he retorts, winking at Jensen.  
Then he seems to catch up on something, and turns a little serious.  
"Actually, I'm Jared Padalecki, now. My dad had my last name changed back to my mum's, after... _after_."  
For an instant Jared's eyes cloud up, but he blinks and it's gone.  
"So, you're fully clothed _and_ in control of yourself? Is it wrong for me to say that I'm just a teeny bit disappointed?" he asks, back to his cheerful self.  
Jensen cringes inwardly, feeling an even worst person for what he has thought of doing to Jared.  
The experience he has had with the Dean after he got caught must have marked him pretty bad, if he still carries the signs, and still he's willing to risk it all once more.  
For _him_.  
Jensen feels overwhelmed by the weight of Jared's feeling for him, that he never stopped to contemplate.  
"Come on, Romeo, let's hit the road" he says, as he sits in the car.  
Jared blinks.  
"I thought you wouldn't want to get too far. You know, curfew and such? I planned a romantic stroll in the woods around here" he objects.  
Jensen knows that this is it.  
This is the chance he has been waiting for.  
If they keep on school grounds, someone is bound to see them, and he'll be expelled before the day is over.  
But then he looks at Jared's earnest face, his big, honest eyes and sees a person he'll never, ever hurt.  
Not intentionally, at least, and not if he can help it.  
"And get caught? Are you out of your mind?!" he exclaims.  
"We all know how well that ended last time. Call me old-fashioned, but I actually do quite like living" he adds, chuckling.  
Then he leans in and puts his hand on Jared's arm.  
"I know you'll take me back in time, Jared" he states.  
Jared's smile is so wide his whole face lightens up.  
"Let's go, then, it's time I show you a little of this country you seem to hate so much" Jared answers, as he turns on the engine.  
  


  
"So I threw the whole lot over the cliff, and my mum went _mental_ , as Steve would say."  
They are sitting in a green field, from where they can see the sea, covered in a misty fog, and the mountains.  
It all looks so surreal, and Jensen shivers, even if they are tightly wrapped in a blanket, snuggling closer to Jared.  
"Steve said I was crazy, but Christian said that he would have done exactly the same in my position" he adds, thoughtfully.  
Sometimes he wonders about how the hell can Steve and Christian be together: they are SO different, they fight and bicker all the time and they get on each other's nerves two days out of three.  
When he asked Christian, though, he only smiled, that soft, affectionate smile he only has when he talks about Steve.  
"We are deeply different, that's true" he has said "but we're the same in everything that matters."  
Jensen blinks, suddenly back to his date and to Jared, who's staring at him curiously.  
He feels himself blush and looks away.  
"Sorry for chattering away like this" he mutters, embarrassed "feel free to shut me up."  
Jared snorts.  
"Nah, I'm perfectly fine with that. And by the way? Remind me never to get on your bad side" he chuckles.  
Then, his eyes go softer.  
"The thing is" he adds as an afterthought "that I'm pretty sure you don't have one."  
Jared puts an arm around his shoulder to hug him closer, and Jensen just closes his eyes and wishes the Earth would swallow him whole.  
  


  
Jensen's sitting at a table in the bar where Jared and him meet what feels like a lifetime ago.  
He watches as Jared walks back towards him with a giant plate of fries and a bottle of ketchup, and his stomach clenches.  
"Here you go, trouble" Jared says, putting the plate in front of him.  
"Fries? That's my treat? I didn't expect you to be such a cheap date, Jay."  
The nickname just slides off his tongue before he can even realize he's said it, but Jared just smiles and sits next to Jensen.  
"Well, if I affect your life in no other way, at least I'll know that I got you the best fries on the planet."  
He grabs a couple of them and moves to feed them to Jensen.  
"That's gross!" Jensen exclaims, moving his head back and laughing.  
Jared grins as he pops the fries in his own mouth, then he looks at Jensen, noticing the smudge of ketchup on his cheek.  
Apparently without thinking, Jared licks his thumb and then rubs lightly at the stain, removing it, but even after he has the thumb lingers against Jensen's skin.  
Jensen swallows nervously and forces himself to say something.  
"You know, this is one of the best dates I-"  
Jared silences him by leaning in and kissing his lips softly.  
He doesn't try to deepen the kiss, he only caresses Jensen's lips with his and then moves back.  
Jensen blinks, at a loss for words and not sure he remembers how to breathe.  
"Screw that. _The_ best date I have ever had" he concludes, smiling sheepishly.  
Jared stares at him like he's trying to figure him out, and Jensen fidgets under the scrutiny, but in the end Jared smiles again.  
"There's something about you, Jensen Ackles" he says, in a whisper.  
"Every moment I'm with you, I catch my breath."  
Jensen gapes, and would like to tell Jared that it's the same for him, that he's completely gone for Jared but still Jared deserves someone better, someone who hasn't him wrapped in a web of lies and deceit, but in the end he simply wraps his arms around Jared's neck and pulls him closer, claiming his lips once more.  
There will be time to talk later.  
  


  
Jensen climbs the stairs as fast as he can, he can't wait to tell everything to the guys, especially his decision of not leaving.  
He wants to stay, more than anything else, he wants to have Jared, and his friends.  
He likes the person he's become of lately, and he doesn't think he'll be ever ready to give that up to go back to-what?  
That insecure asshole with no real friends and a lot of unsolved issues?  
He slams the door open and storms inside.  
"Guys!" he exclaims.  
"Guess what?! You'll never believe it. I-"  
He stops abruptly when he realizes that his roommates are sitting on their beds and look broken and despairing.  
Anything he has wanted to say is wiped away from his mind, now focused on the more important task of fixing whatever is wrong with his friends.  
"What happened?" he asks, but no one answers.  
"Christian?"  
Christian is glaring at him, and if looks could kill Jensen would be six feet under already.  
"Dear Jason" Christian starts, reading from a piece of paper he's holding with shaking fingers "you cannot imagine how retarded these idiots are. They're a bunch of ugly losers who think a mani-pedi is a Latin greeting."  
Jensen's eyes go wide, and he opens his mouth to say something, but Steve lifts a hand, a hurt expression flashing in his eyes, as Christian keeps on reading.  
"I despise these village idiots, but I have to pretend to like them so they'll help me get out of this hell hole; I tried doing it on my own, and it was impossible."  
Christian throws the page on the bed and sighs heavily, as Steve picks it up and reads further.  
 _Fuck, there's **more**?!_ Jensen thinks in despair.  
He didn't write any of it.  
"They're so thick they'll never realize it, anyway. I'll be out of this asylum by the end of term."  
Jensen lifts his hands up.  
"I didn't write that! I swear to God! I might have thought about you as loser, I admit it, but that was _before_! And even that was way before I truly knew you. Weeks ago."  
Kerr throws him a sad glance.  
"Well, it's dated today" he states "and it's from your e-mail address."  
Jensen is confused.  
"Where did you get it?" he asks.  
"It was taped to the door" Kerr answers, since both Christian and Steve seem too shaken up to even acknowledge his question.  
Eventually, Steve stands up and walks up to him, his fists clenched, and Jensen thinks he's going to hit him; he doesn't, though, he just gets in his face and hisses "you're a seriously horridious son of a bitch" before walking away from the room.  
Christian is not as noble, and he punches him straight in the guts.  
"Why would you do that?" he growls.  
Jensen falls on his knees, coughing and clenching at his stomach.  
"You can't believe I actually wrote this" Jensen retorts in a broken voice, short, panting breaths coming out of his mouth.  
Christian looks like he's going to have a second go at him, but then he just steps back, grimacing.  
"Just forget it, Jensen. All we did was try to make your life here happier, but you just went and throw it back in our faces. I don't want to talk to you ever again, and if I ever see you next to Steve, I swear to God you're going to regret it."  
With those heavy, heated, angry words, Christian leaves the room too, and Jensen feels cold and alone, just as his first days.  
The only thing he can think about is seeing Jared; maybe he can talk to them tell them they're wrong, that Jensen is not like that.  
He might have been, but he's changed, now.  
He walks up to Jared's room, and he's about to knock when he notices a piece of paper laying on the floor.  
Oh God, _no_.  
Please, _no_.  
He grabs it, and as soon as he starts to read it he feels sick.  
  
 _All I have to do is hook up with the Dean's son, and it's a sure thing that they'll expel me._  
He's a total dweeb, and pretty gross, especially since hello? Straight, but he's an easy target.  
Give me a week, tops.  
  
Jensen knows it will be useless, he knows that if Jared has read the e-mail he won't want to see Jensen either, but he has to try.  
So, he knocks softly.  
Jared opens the door and just stares at him.  
"Jared, I-I can explain" Jensen starts, but Jared shakes his head.  
"Is it true?" he asks, his voice cracking.  
Jensen wants to say it's not, but since he has already done enough damage lying, maybe it's time to start to be honest.  
"It is, but-"  
Jared slams the door in his face without another word.  
  


  
"Please, Jason, I really need to talk to you!" Jensen hisses in his phone.  
It's late at night, and he's hidden in the kitchen.  
"I can't right now, dude, the limo's coming in five" Jason answers.  
"Where are you going?"  
Jensen can almost see Jason shrug.  
"Oh, Genevieve's house. She's having a party."  
Jensen feels a pang of guilt as he remembers he hasn't talk to Genevieve in weeks, but then he feels better because he knows Jason is with her.  
He'll have to tell her about Jared,about him, about the fact that he doesn't care for her as he thought he was, but he can't do that on the phone, with all the miles that are separating them right now.  
He'll tell her face to face as soon as they see each other again; with what has happened between them, is not like he'll have any further chance to cheat, anyway.  
The thought brings him back on track, and he remembers why he's calling Jason in the first place.  
"I just need some advice, man. Something really bad happened" he explains, playing with his lighter.  
It was his dad's, he never smoked, but he used to say that fire was a great invention and you never know when you're going to need it.  
When he died, it passed on to him.  
It's nothing special, just a metal lighter with a faded _I love NY_ written on the side.  
Jason is not listening to him, anyway.  
"Right, okay. Got to go. See you soon as! Miss ya, dude" he says.  
"Miss you too" Jensen whispers, and he's about to hang up when Jason's voice comes up again.  
"Sorry, Genny. Couldn't get rid of him soon enough. What was I saying? Oh, yes, I know. Why don't you take off all your clothes and wait for me in the hot tub? We can play that game you liked that much last week...Genny? Babe?"  
Jensen holds his phone with so much strength his knuckles go white.  
"No, Jason. Still me. _Babe_."  
Jensen doesn't expect for Jason to say something, he simply ends the call and turns off his phone.  
He should have seen it coming.  
Genevieve has always been a slut, and he has to admit that Jason's quite hot.  
He's also empty and useless, so if Genevieve picked him that must mean she's just as empty and useless.  
Maybe Jason has done him a favor after all; doesn't mean that the betrayal doesn't sting anyway, though.  
Jensen sighs and covers his face with his hands, missing Steve tiptoeing towards the basement as every night.  
A sudden rage gets hold of him: fuck this school, fuck Jason and Genevieve, fuck his supposed friends and most of all fuck Jared!  
For once in his life he didn't do anything wrong, for once in his life he has been good, and this is the reward?!  
They can all go to Hell.  
He starts playing with his lighter, absentmindedly, and doesn't notice how close the curtain is.  
His eyes widen in surprise at the flame: he has accidentally set the curtain alight.   
As he's trying to put the fire out, he hears footsteps approaching.  
"Shit" he mutters, hitting the burning part of the curtain with a rag.  
Once he's sure that there's no trace of fire, flames or embers in sight, he quickly runs off, back to his room.  
His heart thumps madly in his chest, and he curses himself, panting slightly.  
What the Hell was he thinking?!  
  


_TBC..._


	6. Sixth

 

  
Jensen is sleeping when a weird sound wakes him up.  
He gets out of bed and gets to the window; a weird, orange light enters from there, and when he looks outside, he sees the flames licking at the kitchen's windowsills as dark clouds of smoke go up crackling.  
Jensen stomps to the closer bed and shakes Kerr violently.  
"Kerr! Fuck it, Kerr, wake up! I didn't mean to do it, it was an accident and I thought I had put it out!" he blabbers out, as Kerr sits up in his bed and looks at him with sleepy eyes.  
"I don't know what happened, I didn't want to hurt anybody" Jensen keeps talking and as soon as he has pulled Kerr to the window the sight of the flames is more than enough to snap him awake in an instant.  
"Jesus, Jensen. You're a proper psycho" Kerr says, but Jensen doesn't have time for a lecture now.  
"Come on, help me get everyone up before it spreads" he urges him, running out of their room screaming and letting him to deal with their roommates.

 

  
All the students run outside, in the yard, as the firetrucks and the ambulances get there, their sirens wailing.  
The Dean stands next to the door, calling out names to be sure that everyone's safe outside.  
As the firemen hose fire down, the Dean gets to the end of his list.  
"Steven Carlson?"  
No one answers.  
"Has anyone seen Steve?" the Dean asks, shouting a little louder.  
"Come on, guys, who was the last person to see Steve?!"  
Next to Jensen, Christian's face goes pale.  
"It can't be" he mutters.  
Jensen turns abruptly towards him.  
"What?"  
Christian swallows noisily.  
"We had a fight before bedtime" he admits, his eyes wide and scared.  
"I told him I wouldn't go meet him, you know, because I didn't feel like it. You don't think he-"  
Jensen straightens his shoulders.  
"Steve's in the basement!" he shouts, as he runs as fast as he can back inside the building, ignoring the Dean's voice calling him and demanding he stops.  
He runs until there's only smoke filling his lungs, but it's not like he's breathing all that much anyway: the anxiety has quite a grip on his chest, at the moment.  
He flies down the stairs, followed closely by the firemen and a few policemen, and he doesn't stop until he's in front of the basement door.  
As he thought, it's been automatically locked from the outside, probably as a precaution in case of fire.

 

  
When the firemen guide both Jensen and Steve out of the building, Jensen has a shaking arm around Steve's shoulder, as Steve coughs, almost limp against his side.  
As soon as they're in the yard, the whole student body, the teachers and the Dean start clapping and cheering, like Jensen's some kind of hero, but he just want to curl up and die.  
"You're a very foolish, very brave man, Jensen" the Dean says, in an affectionate voice, and Jensen feels even worse.  
He keeps his eyes low, not sure if he's more afraid of meeting Christian's grateful eyes or Kerr's accusing ones.  
Probably both.

 

  
"My God" Jared mutters, following a fireman in the burned out kitchen once the fire is completely out and it's therefore safe to enter.  
"What do you think happened?" he asks, and the fireman shakes his head,  
"We don't know yet" he answers "but we're lucky. It could have been a lot worse."  
Jared nods, and he's about to walk away when something gleams next to his feet.  
He bends to see what it is and as soon as he has it in his hands his heart skips a beat: it's a silver lighter.  
  
_"So you're an all-round bad boy, Jensen? You smoke, too?"_  
Jensen laughs, rolling the lighter in his hands.  
"Not at all, Jay. This is the only thing my father left me, and that's why I bring it along. Besides, you never know when you'll need to start a fire, right?"  
  
Jared's eyes shift and, once he's sure no one's looking at him, he pockets the lighter.

 

  
"Well done, Jensen."  
"You saved us, man! You were _brilliant_!"  
"Thank you, Jensen."  
His fellow students, people that never even looked at him before, suddenly acknowledge him, accept him, welcome him.  
_If they all knew._  
An arm comes from nowhere and grabs him, pulling him behind a corner, and Jensen would yell if he didn't recognize the person immediately.  
"Hey" Jared greets him, his expression blank and his eyes colder than Jensen has ever seen them.  
"I believe this is yours" Jared continues, dropping the half-burned lighter in Jensen's hand.  
Jensen is shaking, terrified by what Jared must be thinking of him, and can't find the courage to say a word.  
Jared narrows his eyes.  
"Do you realize you could have killed him?" he hisses "Hell, you could have killed all of us!"  
"I didn't mean to!" Jensen exclaims, feeling tears pooling in his eyes and desperately trying to control them.  
Throwing a fit right now won't help him convince Jared.  
"I thought I stopped it. I swear" he adds, in a softer voice.  
"I heard footsteps and then I put it out. I don't understand. I was just so upset at everything, and-"  
Jensen lowers his eyes.  
"It was an accident, and I wish with all I have I hadn't done it."  
Jared grabs his wrist and holds it so tight that Jensen whimpers in pain, but he looks up.  
"I wish you wouldn't have done it too. In fact, I wish you never came to this school at all."  
He storms away, and Jensen stares at his back wishing his father's lighter could burn all of his pain away as well.

 

  
"Someone here knows exactly what happened last night."  
The Dean stares at the students, all crowded in the main hall.  
"The firemen made quite clear that this fire was no accident" he continues "and if you have the sense to own up, no legal charges will be filed. If not, it will be passed on to the local authorities."  
The Dean's eyes look disappointed and sad, and he looks like he has aged ten years overnight.  
"You have until the end of the day to come forward" he adds.  
The students stand up and leave the hall, going to their classes, but Jensen only walks with them up to the alley, then takes a detour and gets outside.  
He sits down on an empty bench and takes out a notepad, pouring his heart on the page and hoping, desperately hoping, that his feelings will go through to Jared.  
  
_Jay, how can I begin to say I'm sorry?_  
You're good and honest, while I'm the opposite.  
But thanks to you and my roommates, I'm learning, so now I'm going to do the right thing; if it means I have to leave here, I just want you know that I didn't write that e-mail.  
I promise, and I hope you'll find in you the strength to believe me.  
For a moment, yeah, you were my ticket out of here.  
That's why I admitted it was true: that's how it started out, anyway.  
But then I got to know you.  
Jared, I've never felt this way before, about anyone, and if I affect your life in no other way, at least I need you to know that.

 

  
Jensen walks up to the Dean's desk and puts the lighter amongst the papers that are spreaded on it.  
He feels like run and hide, but he has to be brave.  
For the people that believe in him-or used to, anyway.  
"It's what I used to start it" he explains when the Dean looks at him, confused.  
"It was an accident, and I thought I put it out" he adds immediately after "But I guess not. _Obviously_ not."  
The Dean's expression is so deeply disappointed that Jensen has to look away, as the Dean asks him if he realizes what his stunt means.  
Jensen nods slowly.  
"The Honor Court will decide if you'll get expelled" the Dean tells him anyway "But I suspect you'll understand that it's just a formality at this point."  
Jensen nods again and turns to leave, but then stops.  
"The weird thing is that I really did try to turn it around" he says, his voice thin and low "I didn't want to disappoint you, and I'm so sorry."  
The tears are stinging at the corners of his eyes, when the Dean whispers back "I'm so sorry too".

 

  
As he exits the Dean's office, Kerr crosses his path.  
"I told him it was me" Jensen says, and Kerr stops.  
"I'm going to the Honor Court, and then I'll be leaving."  
Kerr sneers at him.  
"Well done. You finally got what you wanted, you must be _overjoyed_ " he hisses, walking past him, and Jensen doesn't have the courage to stop him.  
He turns on himself, with a last glance at the way Kerr disappeared, and as he does he notices a framed picture of the lacrosse team.  
He's standing in the front, beaming at the camera.  
"When did they take this?" he murmurs "I don't remember posing for it..."  
He furrows his brow a second after, though, because the rest of the guys standing next to him in the picture are not his teammates.  
There's no Kerr, no Christian, no Steve in there.  
He gets closer to the picture to analyze it a little further, and that's when he sees the date on the top of the frame.  
  
**1976** , the last year the school won the championship.  
  
That's not him.  
"...dad?" he whispers, touching the glass with a trembling finger, as if he's scared that the picture might vanish like it has never been there.  
It doesn't, though, and he follows his father's outline.  
Jensen really is the spitting image of him.  
His mum used to tell him so, when he was still a kid, but at some point she must have grown tired of his biting retorts and dropped it.  
Now Jensen wishes he had listened to what she had to say.

 

  
Jensen's still staring at the picture when someone clears his throat behind him.  
He turns abruptly, trying to dry up his tears with his sleeve, and he sees Jared standing there with a doubled piece of paper in his hands.  
His letter.  
"I've been looking for you" Jared starts.  
Jensen is still rubbing at his eyes, as Jared walks closer.  
"In the end you backed out of our deal, then" he says.  
Jensen blinks, confused.  
"What deal?"  
"That you wouldn't fry my head" Jared explains, sitting next to him.  
Jensen feels the tears spilling again, and doesn't even try to stop them this time.  
"Well, you poached my heart, too" he retorts, not caring if his voice comes out sniffling and hurt.  
"Hey, no, come on, you don't get to cry on me" Jared states, pulling Jensen closer.  
Jensen lets himself go, safe in Jared's arms, at least for a moment, then he moves away, ashamed for the moment of weakness Jared just witnessed.  
Jared puts his hand on Jensen's and caresses his clenched knuckles with his thumb.  
"I think I just found the moral of this story" Jensen says, pointing at the picture.  
Jared looks at it, then his eyes go wide.  
"He looks exactly like you."  
"He was my dad" Jensen explains "he went to this school and I didn't even know. God, how ashamed would he be if he could see me now?"  
He closes his eyes and tries to calm down his raging heartbeat.  
Jared sighs.  
"He wouldn't be. Because he would see under the surface, as I did" he whispers, holding Jensen against his chest.

 

  
When Kerr enters in his room, he finds Steve and Christian deeply involved in conversation.  
"Christian, I'm never wrong and you know it. When have I ever been wrong? Point out one time."  
Christian scratches the back of his neck, opens and closes his mouth a couple of times but nothing comes out and in the end his shoulders sag.  
"Ha!" Steve exclaims, pleased.  
"Stop discussing, guys. He's confessed, and he'll be heard by the Honor Court this afternoon" Kerr intervenes.  
Christian huffs.  
"That's brave and really stupid. But then again, this is Jensen we're talking about so why am I surprised?" he mutters.  
"Guess what we've discovered" he continues.  
"The e-mails were sent 11:40 in the morning, but Jensen left the computer room a few minutes after 11:00."  
Steve turns towards Kerr and nods.  
"I got back from my workout session, then I went to tell him Jared was waiting. He left immediately."  
Steve rummages through his bag and comes out with a few printed pages.  
"I was able to access the keystroke order of the root file to find out who else was logged on there then" he explains, showing the pages to Kerr.  
"And guess who the only other person was?" Christian asks with a smirk.  
Kerr bounces nervously.  
"Who?"

 

  
James walks up to the pulpit and throws a sneer at Jensen, who's sitting on a chair placed in the middle of the room.  
"It is with great regret and sadness that we call the Honor Court to session" he declares.  
The hall is silent, and Jensen fidgets, uncomfortable under the scrutiny of all his fellow students.  
There are only a few empty chairs in the back, and those seats belong to the only persons he wanted to be there.

 

  
"Come on, when you think about it, Jensen would never say _term_ " Steve points out.  
"Yeah, he calls it _bloody **samosa**_ or something" Christian adds, and Kerr rolls his eyes.  
" _Semester_ , Christian" he corrects him, but Christian just shrugs.  
"Whatever."  
"Anyway" Steve interrupts them, glaring at Christian "to check the reality, I had a sneaky look in his journal for Friday's entry."  
Kerr snorts.  
"Jensen keeps a _journal_?" he asks, amused.  
Steve glares at him, too.  
"Shut up and listen."  
  
_I think I love them like proper friends I've known forever. Maybe even more than that, because I've known Jason my whole life and I've never felt so close to him. They're forcing me to become proper, to do my homeworks and all the right shit, which is sort of whack, and I'd probably hate them if I wasn't one of them. But honestly? I like that I am now one of them._  
  
Silence falls on the room for a moment, as Steve closes up the journal and puts it back under Jensen's mattress, where it was hidden.  
"Apart from some atrocious spelling mistakes, don't you think this is more like it?" he asks, and both Christian and Kerr nod.  
"What can we do?" Kerr asks, and Steve beams.  
"It's time for _Operation Modeerf_!" he exclaims.  
His roommates blink and he sighs.  
"It's _freedom_ backwards, guys. Come on, a little imagination?"  
Kerr blinks some more, as Christian shakes his head.  
"You're a freak, Steve."

 

 

_TBC..._


	7. Seventh

  
"It is your duty" James goes on, as some of the students groan "to understand the dark forces that drove a seemingly-"  
"James!"  
The Dean slams a hand on the desk.   
"May I remind you that the Honor Court is no place for your personal grandstanding, and that Jensen has a right to speak in his own defense before the Court as a whole passes judgement?!"  
He glares at James, and he swallows, nods and sits down.  
The Dean waves a hand towards Jensen, inviting him to stand up.  
"Thank you, Mr. Morgan."  
Jensen turns towards the students and offers them a small smile.  
"I won't insult everybody by trying to defend myself or my actions.; I think it's safe to say that I've really messed up, and I apologize profusely, but I'm also so grateful to you all."  
He sighs and looks at the empty seats once more.  
"I tried really hard to get out of this school, and only now that I'm about to succeed I realize just how much I want to stay."  
His words stuck in his throat when he sees Christian, Steve and Kerr enter and take a seat.  
Steve even smiles at him.  
His heart swells, and he goes on with a little more strength.  
"I've learnt so much being here, being with all of you and in some ways with my dad, who I found out was actually a student here."  
Jensen's roommates gasp, especially Christian, and Jensen thinks he sees the ice melt a little in his stare.  
But maybe it's just wishful thinking.  
"I've had a hole in my heart for five years, and somehow being here it slowly started to heal."  
He opens his arms wide.  
"I know I may have looked like a California guy, and for a long time I didn't think I could be anything else, but thanks to everyone who believed in me and supported me, even if they didn't even know me, I've discovered in my heart that there's so much more to me than meets the eye."  
As Jensen finishes his speech, and a lot of friendly murmurs start to spread around the hall, James stands up abruptly.  
"Objection! Sustained. The court will heretofore disregard the previous statement and perhaps heretofore we can begin the real business" he proclaims.  
Jensen twitches, but nods nonetheless.  
James narrows his eyes.  
"Can you tell us, in your own words, where were you on the aforementioned evening of-"  
"Honestly, James, who else's words do you expect him to use?!" the Dean exclaims, frustrated.  
James clenches his jaw and sits down once more, as the Dean sighs and then looks at Jensen.  
"Jensen" the Dean starts "were you in the cook's sitting room on the night of the fire?"  
"Yes, I was" Jensen answers, keep his head held high.  
As one question follows the previous, Jensen sees his roommates whispering something in the ears of the students sitting next to them, who are evidently asked to pass the message on, as they do the same.  
"Quiet, please! Silence in Court!" James shrieks.  
"Did you intend on starting a fire?" the Dean continues.  
"Not really" Jensen says, biting his lower lip.  
"Objection!" James exclaims, standing up gain and stomping his feet "does the defendant mean yes or no?" he retorts.  
"James..." the Dean growls, but Jensen answers anyway.  
"It means no, James, I had no intention of _actually_ doing it."  
The Dean looks tired.  
"Was anyone else with you?"  
Jensen shrugs and looks at his hands, clenched in his lap.  
"Not as far as I know-"  
"I was."  
Jensen's head snaps up and he stares, shocked, at Christian, who stands up and looks defiantly at James.  
"I was" echoes Steve, standing up too, and so does Kerr.  
After his roommates- _friends?_ -stand up for him, more students do the same, all affirming they were with Jensen the night of the fire.  
"Objection! Stop! _Order_!" James has his hands in his hair, and his eyes seem about to pop out of his skull.  
"This is _ridiculous_ " he hisses once the silence returns to the room "what are you all doing?! You're _lying_!"  
He turns to the Dean.  
"They're lying, Mr. Morgan, that's _obvious_."  
"James, you're going down, you son of a bitch" Steve snarls, and James goes livid.  
"I know what this is. This is a conspiracy! You can't expel the whole year, and they _know_ that. I suggest we-"  
The Dean pound the gavel with so much strength his desk trembles.  
"For Christ's sake, James, be _quiet_! And everyone, please, sit down."  
This time James won't have it, though.  
"It's a black-and-white case" he protests "he has to be expelled. The guy set fire to the school, endangering all our precious lives!"  
He turns towards the students and opens his arms wide.  
"Come on, guys, can't you see? He just walked in there, lighter at the ready, and tried to burn the place down! He-"  
Joshua, who's sitting next to James, arches an eyebrow.  
"Lighter?"  
James huffs.  
"Not _now_ , Joshua, have respect for Court protocol."  
Joshua looks confused.  
"What lighter, James?"  
James rolls his eyes and turns towards Joshua.  
"Jesus, Joshua, how _daft_ can you possibly be?! That ridiculous _I love LA_ lighter of his. He left it behind, for God's sakes! Now, as I was saying-"  
Joshua slowly stands up.  
"Ho do you know that, James? No one's mentioned a lighter before" he objects.  
James' face goes a little pale.  
"Wha-yes, of course they have" he protests.  
"Actually, James, they haven't" Steve says.  
James is slowly turning green.  
The Dean turns towards James.  
"I have to second Joshua's question, James. How did you know about that lighter?" he asks, his tone stern.  
"Well, I-I have-"  
"Jared found the lighter before anyone saw it, and gave it immediately back to me" Jensen interrupts him.  
"How can you possibly know, unless..." Jensen's eyes go wide in realization "...unless _you_ were there?"  
Everyone's stunned into silence, and every gaze is fixed on James, who starts fidgeting on his chair.  
"This-this is absurd" James stutters, chuckling nervously "I refuse to sit here and listen to these wild-"  
"I _had_ put it out!" Jensen exclaims, standing up "The footsteps I heard, it must have been you!"  
Joshua's face is a mask of disgust.  
"Oh God, you _restarted_ the fire. How could you, James?!" he asks, utterly shocked.  
"James, is this true?!" the Dean's fists are clenched, and he looks about to explode.  
"Of-of course not" James tries weakly, but Jensen is staring at him in disbelief.  
"It all makes sense now" he states "I think I'm innocent."  
"I think so too" affirms Joshua, but James shoves him away.  
"You're _not_!" he shouts, getting in Jensen's face and grabbing his neck with a hand.  
"You motherfucker" he hisses "You've turned this school upside down. You've ruined _everything!_ "  
A couple of strong arms rip him away from Jensen, and when James turns around he sees Jared, who's eyes shine with fury.  
Understanding that his loss is complete, James can just stare hatefully at Jensen before screaming "it's all your fault! You started it. I only finished what _you_ started!"  
He tries o throw himself at Jensen again, but Jared's hold on him is too strong.  
"James? My office. _Now_."  
The Dean's eyes are throwing daggers at him, and James gasps, finally realizing what all of this means.  
As Jared escorts him away, mouthing _I'll see you later_ at Jensen, Christian, Kerr and Steve all walk up to Jensen and hug him, pat him and nudge him until he's laughing in relief, a few tears running down his cheeks, but these don't burn.  
These are happy tears.  
Around them the students are cheering, and no one notices Joshua approaching the group, looking sheepish but a little hopeful.  
“Kerr?”  
Kerr turns, and his face lightens up when he sees him.  
“Hey, Josh.”  
Joshua blushes a little at the old nickname.  
“I just wanted to tell you all I'm sorry. I was-I didn't mean-”  
Kerr shakes his head, squeezing Joshua's shoulder.  
“We know, Josh, it's ok. You did the right thing when it mattered the most, the rest is gone. Let's just forget it.”  
Joshua nods enthusiastically, then starts fidgeting.  
“So, uh, I was thinking maybe-maybe you'd like to get a bite downtown? And a beer?”  
Kerr's smile risks to break his face in two.  
  


  
"Okay, suckers, show time! Let's open a can of whoop-ass!"  
The team is playing the final, and everyone's so fired up that the poor opponent team has no chance.  
Jensen is in the center of every action, animating the other players, passing the ball through, helping who looks unsure.  
Just as he scores a brilliant point, someone taps on the Dean's shoulder.  
"Mr. Morgan?"  
The Dean turns towards the voice, and he's stunned by the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.  
Her short, blond hair sparkle under the rare sun, her eyes are clear as the Ireland's sky, and she's offering him a timid, enticing smile.  
He only notices her extended hand when she clears her throat.  
"Mrs. Ackles" he greets her, shaking her hand and keeping it in his maybe a bit too long, because who else could that be?  
"Please, call me Samantha. Did I miss much?" she asks, scooping through the guys running in the field, probably looking for the blue mohawk of his son's hair.  
"Not at all" the Dean answers.  
"Please, come and take a seat."  
Samantha sits down, her eyes still shifting.  
"Where is Jensen? Is he on the bench?"  
The Dean laughs.  
"Absolutely not! He's the captain of the team, now. Look, he's right there" he points, and it's only then that Samantha sees him.  
Jensen looks like a lion, his blond hair a little longer and plastered to his forehead with sweat.  
His skin is colored, both because of his prolonged time under the sun and because of the physical effort he's putting into the game, and his eyes are sparkling.  
He has never looked more beautiful.  
Samantha covers her mouth with her hands, as her eyes fill up with tears.  
"He's the spitting image of his father, isn't he?" the Dean states, an affectionate smile on his face, and Samantha feels incredibly grateful to this man for the way he cares about her son.  
"He most certainly is" she murmurs.  
The Dean looks at Samantha's expression, that's telling him she has finally found the son she thought she had lost, and realizes how easy it is for everything to fall apart.  
His gaze falls on Jared, who's sitting in the bleachers and who only has eyes for Jensen.  
There's so much light and serenity on his face that the Dean's heart aches, and he wonders who could he have been so blind not to notice.  
Does it really matter who it is that makes his son happy, as long as he _is_?  
Is a status and his reputation really worth his son's misery?  
One more look at Jared, and he has his answer.  
  


  
Once the game is over, and everyone's clapping, screaming and generally celebrating, Samantha walks up to Jensen, who's talking softly to Jared.  
"Mum?! What are you doing here?!" he exclaims, throwing himself at her and getting overwhelmed by her so familiar scent as she hugs him tight.  
"Mr. Morgan called me" she explains "he told me all that happened, including how you found out about Dad."  
Jensen stares at her.  
"Why didn't you tell me, Mum?"  
Samantha looks regretful.  
"I'm sorry, Jensen. I thought it might make you too sad. I did know that you needed to breathe a different kind of air, though" she adds, winking at him.  
"You were right" Jensen admits, then he beams at her.  
"Did you know Dad was the captain of the Lacrosse team too?"  
Samantha nods.  
"I also know that he's incredibly proud of you, right now" she whispers, kissing Jensen's hair "as am I."  
Footsteps approach, and Jensen turns to find Jared dragging his feet, embarrassed.  
"Mum, this is Jared" he introduces him, grabbing his hand and pulling him in front of Samantha.   
Once Jared's next to him, Jensen holds him closer wrapping an arm around his shoulders, so that there's no mistaking their relationship.  
They both hold their breaths, but Samantha just looks at him for a second before smiling and hugging Jared, too.  
"You have no idea how glad I am to meet you, boy" she tells him, and Jared chuckles.  
Jensen sighs happily and finally knows he's at home.

 

**~ END ~**

 

  
  


[Masterpost](http://trinipedia.livejournal.com/50233.html)  
[ART MASTERPOST](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/15496.html)   
(there is a wall, icons and more goodies! Go take a peek and don't forget to tell [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[**lightthesparks**](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/) how much she rocks your world  <3)

**Author's Note:**

>  **Not Coming Down From:** [ Couch](https://www.google.com/maps?q=Couch)  
>  **Clawed Chained Heart:** awake  
>  **Under The Spell Of:** Sarah Harding "Real Wild Child"


End file.
